Hair
by helenamarkos
Summary: Questions and some hair care. It's a quiet night for Sesshomaru's group. [Platonic SR, preKohaku]


Disclaimer: I own nothing _Inuyasha_. That distinction belongs to _Rumiko Takahashi_. I just borrow for a bit of fun. 

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Hair 

By Liliesformary

It was a cool spring evening, and all was well. The moon transformed a quiet valley to seas of rolling silver. A choir of night folk filled the air. Rin, fresh from her bath in a nearby stream, sat by a humble fire, legs outstretched as she dried the visages of damp from her skin. She hummed quietly as she ran a small, wooden comb deftly through her ebony locks, and kept time with the crickets' chirps. Nearby, Ah Un engaged in his evening respite, his tongues lolling lazily from gaping jaws. Jaken tended the fire, quietly enjoying the serenade, thankful that this strange little human had risked so much to bring him an antidote for the poison that coursed through him. Already he was feeling his strength regained, and he had only partaken of the plant a few hours ago. The imp could not grumble when his lord ordered him to watch the girl. He owed her a great debt tonight.

Rin abruptly stopped her humming, gazing thoughtfully at the night sky. "Master Jaken," she said, "why are there so many stars?"

Jaken ceased poking at the flames and turned a curious face on her. "What on earth," he said somewhat testily, "are you talking about, Rin?" Really, there was no figuring out this girl.

"Well," she drawled, "I was combing my hair and counting the stars and I was thinking 'my, there are a lot of starts," at this point she gulped for air, "I wonder where they all come from and why they're there and why there are so many."

She looked at him expectantly; her comb stopped mid-tangle, "do you know why, Master Jaken?"

Jaken gaped at her for a moment, and then gaped at the night sky, as if it were the constellations' fault that the girl could not divine them.

"I…really couldn't say, Rin," he said at length. Were all human children this insatiably curious?

"Oh," Rin said, somewhat put-down, "well, I guess it doesn't matter." She continued her combing, picking up her song where she left off. Jaken stared at her dumbfounded, feeling a little put-out.

Sesshomaru returned just as the fire was burning down. Jaken had curled himself into a Jaken sized ball in the crook of a gnarled root and Rin had settled on to Ah Un's belly, staring listlessly at the night sky. The young dog took a mental stock of his surroundings. Determining that there was no eminent threat, and he didn't have to beat Jaken for his laziness; he sat down under an old plum tree and began detangling his hair, still damp from his bath.

Rin's attention was diverted from the glittering heavens to her lord's back, as he pulled his claws through his locks in mesmerizing rhythm. The last embers of the firelight and the steady moonlight caught the droplets of water and made them sparkle like the night sky. Rin decided that she had found her answer. Obviously, the night sky was the raven locks of a god, just out of the bath. The stars merely the droplets of water left behind.

For a child that kept company with magical creatures, this seemed as likely an answer as any.

Sesshomaru's claws caught on a particularly vicious snarl, which he promptly cut from his mane. Rin's eyes grew with horror. Surely he did not mean to cut all the knots from his head? Knowing that such an atrocity could not occur, she rose from her place at Ah Un's side, pulled her wooden comb from her small traveling bag and approached the _yokai_ that had taken her into his care several weeks prior.

"Lord Sesshomaru?" Rin spoke softly. The demon's hand came to a stop, his head turning slightly towards her.

"What is it, Rin?" His voice was even, but weary.

"Can…um…" Rin turned the comb over and over in her tiny hands, "can Rin comb Lord Sesshomaru's hair?"

Sesshomaru had turned so she could see his profile, his eyes like calculating slits of sunlight. It was the first time she noticed his eyes glowed in the dark. His gaze rested on her for several minutes, during which the comb made many rotations in her hand. He turned to look forward again.

"Do as you wish," he said.

Rin drew her lips into a thin smile to contain a happy yip of excitement. She loved Sesshomaru's hair. Ever since she had found him, she wanted to know what it felt like. Swallowing her joy she stepped up behind him.

She gathered up the ends reverently, secretly delighted that they were as soft as she imagined, and began the slow task of combing out his lengthy mane. Starting at the bottom, she worked her way up, careful to detangle particularly messy knots with her nimble fingers before pulling the comb through. She had to stand on her tiptoes, and then a convenient root to reach the top. Perhaps sensing her struggle, Sesshomaru tipped his head back obligingly. Rin was very pleased with his expression. Eyes shut and face slack, she was glad that she could relieve him of his former tension. Finally, giving a few swift strokes for good measure, she was finished with her task. Forgetting herself for a moment, Rin ran her own fingers through his hair, the strands as fine as spider silk and shiny as pearls.

"Lord Sesshomaru's hair is so pretty," she gushed. Suddenly the locks shifted and Rin found herself looking strait into Sesshomaru's right eye as he gazed at her over his shoulder. He seemed somewhat bemused.

"Is it?" he said, his voice smiled where his face did not. Rin favored him with a crooked grin and nodded enthusiastically.

"Mm hmm!" she stated for emphasis, "Rin likes it a lot!"

Sesshomaru stared at her for a moment longer. Then he reached down to retrieve the snarl he had cut out earlier. He detangled it in his lap as best he could with his one hand and handed it to her. The knotted top held the strands together as effectively as a band. The girl received it with outstretched hands, her eyes wide.

"Thank You, Lord Sesshomaru," she whispered, somewhat awed.

Sesshomaru snorted in his throat, "It is nothing. Now go to bed."

Rin did as she was told, the hair clutched tightly to her chest. Now she could always touch that soft hair, even when her Lord Sesshomaru was not with her.

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A/N: I'm never sure how familiar people are with folklore or ancient magic so I though that I would briefly note the significance of this. Giving someone some of your hair or cloths implies a lot of trust, because it is a common ingredient in most kinds of spells. Sesshomaru not only trusts Rin enough to be close to him and engage in grooming him, but he also trusts her not to betray him.   
Constructive criticism appreciated. 


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